Children's festival tickets on sale next week

We are busy putting the final touches on our May 31 event in honour our building’s 90-year history. We hope you will take the time to come out to the event, enjoy the activities we have in store and celebrate with us.

It’s been a busy few weeks here with dance competitions and shows. We are going to take a breath over the long weekend. The Redpath box office and WKP Kennedy Gallery will be closed. As always, you can still purchase tickets online for upcoming shows at www.capitolcentre.org.

On May 24 we have Thane Dunn’s Elvis Rock and Country show taking the Capitol Centre stage. This show is billed as the definitive Elvis Presley experience. This one has been a hot ticket, but there are still some balcony seats available for all the die-hard Elvis fans out there. The show includes all the classics you love from Blue Suede Shoes to Always on my Mind.

Dance also returns next week with two Dance Expressions recitals on May 25 and the BTS Dance showcase on May 26.

This year’s children’s festival will kick off with a wonderful family concert on the Friday night with Michael Mitchell’s Canada is for Kids. Mitchell is an award-winning singer, songwriter and storyteller whose love of Canada is contagious. His show will stir up your patriotic spirit as he takes you on a musical journey with lively songs and humorous stories.

Mitchell has performed more than 5,000 shows, hosted CTV television’s Story Time children’s program and has written and recorded songs for Sesame Street and PBS. He also is an Officer of the Order of Military Merit.

Our festival continues June 15 with lots of activities, including puppet shows, a musical petting zoo, a slime party and crafts. Our festival concludes with a Sunday free family movie. Stay tuned for all the details. Tickets will go on sale next week.

One of the questions we get asked a lot is who has performed at the Capitol Centre. I thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of the notable entertainers who have graced our stage. I mentioned a few weeks ago that the Trapp Family Singers performed here many decades ago in 1945.

Others who have performed include Johnny Cash, Phyllis Diller, Brenda Lee, Gordon Lightfoot, Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman, National Ballet of Canada, the Bolshoi Ballet, Victor Borge, Sarah McLachlan, Howie Mandel, The Nylons, Andre Philippe Gagnon, Rich Little, Rita MacNeil, Michael Burgess, Jeff Healey, Barenaked Ladies, Jann Arden, Blue Rodeo, Andrea Martin, Gowan, Sheena Easton, Natalie MacMaster, Leahy, Alan Doyle, the Barra MacNeils, Men of the Deeps, The Wiggles, and Sharon and Bram. We have even had two astronauts — Roberta Bondar and Chris Hadfield – on our stage. It is really quite astounding when you look at the list, and I know I have probably missed lots of other notable names.

We are excited to continue our tradition and have booked a couple of legends for this July. Bruce Cockburn will perform on July 12 and Steve Earle will perform on July 17. In the coming months, we will be launching our 2019/2020 season.